A variety of prior art brake control units that provide a brake output signal to brakes of a towed vehicle, such as a trailer, have been proposed and/or manufactured. A number of proposed brake control units have included a brake signal generator, e.g., a deceleration sensor, whose output has been utilized to determine a magnitude for the brake output signal. In general, these brake control units have proposed utilization of a signal provided by a component, located within a towing vehicle, to determine a magnitude for a brake output signal that is provided to brakes of a towed vehicle to initiate braking of the towed vehicle. However, disclosures associated with such proposed brake control units have not disclosed how certain signals present on various automotive communication buses could be utilized to control and/or optimize control of brakes of a towed vehicle. In particular, how speed signals can be used to control and/or optimize control of the brakes of the towed vehicle.
When towed vehicles are traveling at slower speeds, the electric brakes used to stop or slow down such towed vehicles are often too aggressive causing significant jerking, or in the worst case, locking of the brakes of the towed vehicle. What is needed, therefore, is a brake control unit that is capable of applying a brake output signal to brakes of a towed vehicle that may be based on both a speed of a towing vehicle and a signal corresponding to the braking effort applied by the driver of the towing vehicle, such as hydraulic pressure of a hydraulic brake system of the towing vehicle. This would, therefore, permit the brake control unit to reduce power to the towed vehicle brakes when it is traveling at low speeds.
Further, it would be desirable for the brake control unit to determine certain towed vehicle characteristics based on both a speed of a towing vehicle and a change in the speed of the towing vehicle or towed vehicle measured over a specific time period based on a known braking effort. In addition, it would be desirable for the brake control unit to create a real-time brake output signal based on estimated driving conditions to compensate for variations in brakes of a towed vehicle that are attributable to a current speed of the towed vehicle.
Additionally, it would be desirable for the brake control unit to automatically adjust the maximum magnitude of the brake output signal and/or provide a modified initial brake output signal and/or a modified slew rate of the brake output voltage, e.g., set a gain level and/or boost level. Finally, it would be desirable for the brake control unit to determine a towed vehicle characteristic based upon an actual deceleration of a towed vehicle in response to a known output signal.